In EnglishCouple of weeks ago in a storm a big branch fell from an old apple tree, of course I though at once how I could now use the leaves for dyeing. In principle all kinds of tree leaves give some color, usually yellow, and most of them contain also tannins, so I am hoping the color would have also better lightfastness than most yellows, but it remains to be seen:) I couldn't find out the exact dye content of apple tree leaves.I got 2,8kg of leaves from that branch. I poured boiling water over them and let them ferment for 5 days, and they really started to ferment, with bubbles and all:)

In EnglishAfter fermenting the liquid was quite pale yellow, but anyway I decided to try to dye with it without boiling the leaves. So I now strained the bath, added 500grams of yarn premordanted with alum and cream of tartar, and started to heat the bath. At first there wasn't much color but when the temperature got near 80Celsius, the yarns turned to bright and nice yellow. Different from for instance weld where the colors comes in low temperatures. I simmered the yarns for one hour before taking them from the bath. The result was upper color, 1978. It was very interesting that even though the bath didn't seem strong, it gave good color!

I poured more water over the strained leaves, let sit overnight and then boiled them slowly for about two hours and let cool again overnight. The bath was now darker yellow than the previous bath. I strained the leaves and added 500gr of premordanted yarn. After simmering for one hour the color was the one below in the picture, no1979. The difference doesn't show well in the picture, the latter color is not so bright, but duller and stronger too, than the color I got without boiling the leaves.I have saved samples of these yarns for lightfastnesstests, someday:)I am very pleased with the colors, good yellows by themselves and they would give nice greens overdyed with indigo.

The colouring part is the bast of the bark, which you have to peel off when the bark is too thick - a lot of work, but you will earn a strong and colourful yellow on your yarn. Fresh you need 200% and dryed 100% of bast. You can dye 3times, alum mordanted of course.

The yellow of the leave is a lovely color - a kind of vanila. I have to aks my neighbour for some leave ...

By the way ... did you wash your japanese indigo already? It was funny, whe dyed about the same time .... but it was so hot here and I only had cold water no icecubes ... I washed the yarn about 1 week later, it turned lighter - more lightblue whith a little touch of turquoise. Well, maybe I dye the same yarn again - lets see.

Leena, I would definitely use the bark, not the outer layer but the bast underneath. it gave me nice and fast yellows, but they need to soak for a good while to make the most of the dye. and your yellows are nice - very soft.

Hi Leen. The yellows are lovely- nice and soft in tone. I have heard on another blog of someone getting orange with pear leaves and I have got yellow from birch leaves. There are just so many dyes out there my head whirls soemtime with trying to remember all of them!

This color is really lovely, your natural curiosity has created opportunities for new experiences and I believe once the television show airs, you may have a much larger demand for your yarns, enough to support at minimum a webstore, books on the subject and who knows. I am so enjoying your blog.

It looks like I have to try the bark also, you all have convinced me now:) it has to wait until I have more time, but the wood is stored now, so I'll try to get the bark later when it is dry. The bark is very thick, it even has some lichens in it, those I was going to use anyway:)There are so many things to try, I don't have pear trees, but I have cherries and plumtrees, it would be nice to see, if they give other than yellow.

Ute, thanks for the recipe for the bark.I have washed my japanese indigo yarns and the turqoise color changed to more blue, but not lighter.I just dyed another batch of japanese indigo leaves, and got now even better blue, I dyed with vinegar and also with normal way and both worked.I will post pictures in the weekend, when I have the yarns dry.

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WHY USE NATURAL DYES

"We can keep the knowledge of their use alive, as well as regaining for ourselves a vital contact with the natural world. The ability to correctly identify the plants needed, to understand their growth stages sufficiently well to be able to obtain the greatest dye, offer both challenge and pleasure."